Because we've never met a cart we didn't enjoy putting before the horse, we spent a little time this morning investigating what might happen in terms of tiebreakers if the Saints lose to New England on MNF while the Vikings beat the Bears, thus giving both teams 10-1 records, and then both teams remain tied (either winning out or losing the same number of games) down the stretch.

The complicated labyrinth of NFL tiebreakers has always fascinated us. And, as we correctly assumed, this would be a particularly tricky situation. Looking at the attached image of tiebreaker scenarios for division winners to determine home field advantage taken directly from NFL .com, we can see:

*No. 1 will not be applicable.

*No. 2 would not be applicable through 11 games. Both teams would have 1 loss, both to an AFC team, if the Saints lose to the Patriots. That could certainly change, with both teams having challenges ahead against NFC teams. But let's make a leap and assume this doesn't come into play.

*No 3 would not be applicable through 11 games because the Vikings don't play New England and the Saints don't play Pittsburgh. If Minnesota beats Carolina and the Giants (teams the Saints have already defeated once) while New Orleans defeats Carolina down the stretch for a second time, this tiebreaker will be moot.

*No. 4 is where it gets interesting. Strength of victory could end up being the determining tiebreaker. It absolutely would be the determining tiebreaker if both teams ran the table after an N.O. loss to New England, or if both teams lost once to NFC foes (assuming it wasn't one of the teams mentioned in tiebreaker 3 ... say New Orleans loses to Dallas and the Vikings lose to Arizona).

Strength of victory factors in the won-loss percentage of the teams Minnesota and New Orleans have defeated this year. Through 11 games, Minnesota's defeated opponents would have 34 victories while the Saints' would have 37. Advantage Saints. BUT: If you look ahead at the Saints' schedule (and again, this is all assuming they lose to the Patriots), and they win out after New England, the 15 teams they would have beaten currently have 58 victories. The Vikings' opponents, meanwhile, with a 15-win season, currently have 62 victories. That tells you the Vikings' opponents down the stretch are generally tougher than the Saints' opponents. But it also means Minnesota holds a small edge in this strangely important tiebreaker if you take every game into account.

What it could mean is the final week of the season could come down to not only rooting for the likes of the Vikings, but also for the 49ers, Baltimore and ... as painful as this is ... Green Bay to win in order to enhance the Vikings' strength of victory.

Of course, there are countless things that could render this post and our small amount of research irrelevant. The Saints might never lose. The Vikings might drop a couple games down the stretch. Etc. But for now, file it away as food for thought.